Leader Resources The following resources are available in the Study Guide and as a PDF on the book website (www.heaven2earthbook.com/resources). Session 1 • Name/Covenant Placard – Suggestion: Print on cardstock and use a felt marker to add names. • Opening Survey • Participant Handout Session 2 - Participant Handout Session 3 - Participant Handout Session 4 - Participant Handout Session 5 - Participant Handout The following Extended Leader Resources are available in the Study Guide and as .PDF file on the book website (www.heaven2earthbook.com/resources). Session 1 • “The Dating of Christmas” Session 2 • “Women in Matthew’s Genealogy: Stories of Redemption” • “Levirate Marriage Law” Session 3 • “John the Baptist and the Connection to Elijah” Session 4 • “Honor and Shame in Jewish Culture” • “Shepherds in the First Century” Session 5 • “Who Was King Herod?” • “Angels in the Hebrew Bible”
Transcript
Leader Resources
The following resources are available in the Study Guide and as a PDF on the book website (www.heaven2earthbook.com/resources).
Session 1
• Name/Covenant Placard – Suggestion: Print on cardstock and use a felt marker to add names.
• Opening Survey • Participant Handout
Session 2 - Participant Handout
Session 3 - Participant Handout
Session 4 - Participant Handout
Session 5 - Participant Handout
The following Extended Leader Resources are available in the Study Guide and as .PDF file on the book website (www.heaven2earthbook.com/resources).
Session 1
• “The Dating of Christmas”
Session 2
• “Women in Matthew’s Genealogy: Stories of Redemption” • “Levirate Marriage Law”
Session 3
• “John the Baptist and the Connection to Elijah”
Session 4
• “Honor and Shame in Jewish Culture” • “Shepherds in the First Century”
Session 5
• “Who Was King Herod?” • “Angels in the Hebrew Bible”
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Session 1 - Opening Survey
The Advent Season is upon us. Four weeks to prepare for everything related to and around Advent/Christmas. As a way to get started, honestly respond to the following statements by checking the appropriate box remembering that this is a place of non-judgment.
1. When I hear the words Advent/Christmas, I immediately begin to feel stress and pressure.
Agree Disagree Neutral
2. I love this season so much that I begin months before Advent in getting ready. and simply feel my spirits lift because it is Advent.
Agree Disagree Neutral
3. When the holidays are over, I like leaving out my decorations until after the New Year.
Agree Disagree Neutral
4. When Christmas is over, I immediately put away all things Christmas so things can get back to normal.
Agree Disagree Neutral
5. I dread Advent/Christmas. It simply makes me sad because I do not feel I have anything to celebrate.
Agree Disagree Neutral
6. When I hear the word, Christmas, my mind immediately goes to Jesus.
Agree Disagree Neutral
7. I spend as much time in preparing my heart for Advent as I do in preparing for everything else related to Christmas.
Agree Disagree Neutral
8. When the Christmas holidays come, I feel nothing that truly lifts my spirit.
Agree Disagree Neutral
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From Heaven to Earth: Christmas for New Believers, Old Believers and Nonbelievers
Session 1 – Participant Handout
Chapter 1 – The Best Way to Send a Message
Where do you see the secular world and the religious world colliding? _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do you think it is that keeps people from church or religion? ________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Biblical examples of those doubted or questioned God __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Modern examples devout followers of Christ of those who doubted or questioned God ________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The heart of the Christian faith, though, is not “Jesus was” but rather “Jesus is.” What is the difference and what does this mean to our faith journey? ________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures of the birth narrative of Jesus _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spiritual Not Religious __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The fallacy of Self Sufficiency ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Sin __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Need for Salvation ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Christmas we celebrate from heaven to earth we received a Savior!!
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From Heaven to Earth: Christmas for New Believers, Old Believers and Nonbelievers
Session 2 – Participant Handout
Chapter 3 – Jesus Family Tree
How do family lineage or birth and circumstance affect our religious ideas and upbringing? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How is King David’s story relevant to the birth of Jesus? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reflect upon your ideas of why God chose the time and space to become incarnate in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Matthew includes 5 women in the genealogy of Jesus. Note new ideas and understandings from these stories. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As a Christian today, how do the faith stories of these women impact us? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4 – Jesus is Jewish?
Why do we refer to our faith as Judeo-Christian and Abrahamic? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The difference between polytheism and monotheism is ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why was Jesus Christ considered a threat to the Roman Empire? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Upon what authority did the Apostle Paul go out to speak the good news? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The four philosophies in the Jewish faith were Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots and Essenes. Using the chart below write defining characteristics of each group as you best understand them.
Pharisees
Sadducees
Zealots
Essenes
At Christmas we celebrate the humanity and divinity of Christ who came from heaven to earth.
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From Heaven to Earth: Christmas for New Believers, Old Believers and Nonbelievers
Session 3 – Participant Handout
Chapter 5 – John the Baptist: Preparing for Christmas
Significant Women in Times of Proclamation - _______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who has been significant in proclaiming the news of Jesus to you? ________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
What are the similarities between the seasons of Advent and Lent? ________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Repentance (definition and application) _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Transformation a sign of repentance ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________
Jewish philosophies and their primary concern:
Philosophy Primary Concern
Pharisees
Sadducees
Zealots
Essenes
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Chapter 6 – A Virgin Birth? Seriously?
What are your deepest issues with understanding and/or accepting the doctrine of the virgin birth? ________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures and descriptors of the term “virgin” ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Prophecy, then and now __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Virgin birth narratives in history ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Holy Spirit throughout the ages ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Writings of Paul and the virgin birth narrative ________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Christmas we celebrate the fullness of God as shown in Jesus, fully human and fully God, able to relate to our weaknesses and our need of him while showing us the eternal nature of God.
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From Heaven to Earth: Christmas for New Believers, Old Believers and Nonbelievers
Session 4 – Participant Handout
Chapter 7 – Mary and Joseph: The First Disciples
Joseph from silent to powerful, what do we know of him? _______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does the honor and shame values in our culture compare to that of those living in the time of Mary and Joseph? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why is honor and shame significant to the story of Mary and Joseph ______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why are Jesus’ called disciples considered to be “ordinary?” ____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Describe the experience of Mary and Joseph with Simeon and Anna? ______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The importance of the community of faith ___________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jesus and the culturally expected Jesus ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What would it look like for you to live a life of selfless devotion through which the undeniable power of God’s love is made known? _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 8 – Shepherds at the Manger: Unlikely Preachers
The message Luke most likely wanted the readers of his gospel to hear was ________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shepherds place in society ________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Why the shepherds as preachers? __________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The call to tell the good news _____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Diversity in the community of the church ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Christmas we celebrate when heaven came to earth we too became part of the amazing story of Jesus as disciples and preachers of the Good News; and in that sense, we all move from ordinary to extraordinary!
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From Heaven to Earth: Christmas for New Believers, Old Believers and Nonbelievers
Session 5 – Participant Handout
Chapter 9 – Wise Men and Refugees: The Odd Company Jesus Keeps
King Herod ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The joy of the Magi and the character of God ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• The significance of the gifts: o Gold – a gift indicating royalty or kingship o Frankincense – a gift for worship – the fragrance of which would float heavenly
toward the heavenly God o Myrrh – a gift for anointing and for use in preparing bodies of the dead for their
journey to the heavenly realm
Prophetic nature and affirmations of the Magi’s gifts ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Refer to Matthew 2:12-14; 19-21
Flight to Egypt ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Continuation of Redemption ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Immigration and Migration in Culture ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 10 – Angels All Around
Angelic Appearances ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Faith and Mystery ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The limitations of God ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Testing and Discernment of God’s Messages today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The Holy Spirit is free to communicate with us and is not constrained by our rules.” How would you respond to this statement? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Our will or God’s will? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Of what should we NOT be afraid? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The promises of Scripture to which we cling ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The final triumphant message, which blends the birth story with the resurrection and reminds us that Advent is a “mini-Lent”, is the message from the tomb: “He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you’" (Matthew 28:6-7). ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Christmas we celebrate when heaven came to earth so every person and power on earth can now live under the authority of a king who cares for all because he created all and that is good news for all! Thanks be to God!
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Session 1 - The Dating of Christmas
No one knows the date, the month or the season of Jesus’ birth. The date of December 25 was not decided upon until the mid 300s CE. Before then, Christians celebrated his birth at different times.
Around the year 350, Pope Julius in Rome declared December 25 as the date, thereby integrating it with a Roman winter solstice festival (also known as 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti') celebrating the “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.” Both the stories of Jesus’ birth Matthew and Luke are filled with the symbolism of “light.” How appropriate it is that the Birthday of the Unconquered “Sun” would come to represent the Savior, Jesus Christ, the unconquered “Son?”
Some faith traditions celebrate the Annunciation of Mary where she learned of her pregnancy and use March 25 as this date as it is roughly 40 weeks from December 25. Orthodox Christians in central and eastern Europe and other parts of the world celebrate Christmas on January 7, which correlates to what the Western church recognizes as Epiphany (January 6), the arrival of the magi (or wisemen) from the East.
The association of the birth of Jesus with the winter solstice has been added to many of the songs and symbolism of Christmas. Light came into the world, therefore Jesus must have been born at night so it could be seen. Each of these carols and many more speak to a night birth, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” and O Little Town of Bethlehem. Likewise, the time of winter is noted in other carols such as “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “The First Noel.” In addition, art has often portrayed the nativity scene as occurring on a dark wintry night. This reminds us that art, literature, historical tradition, often form a reality for us that is not necessarily true to Scripture.
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Session 2 – Women in Matthew’s Genealogy: Stories of Redemption
Tamar (Genesis 38) Tamar was an Israelite woman who married one of Judah’s sons. Upon his untimely death, as was the custom, she married the second son of Judah who also died. Judah was fearful to give her another son, so he “set her aside” supposedly until his next son reached maturity. However when the third son reached the age of maturity, he did not hold to his promise. Dressed in what Judah thought to be a prostitute, Tamar managed to sleep with Judah and in so doing she became pregnant. When Judah learned of her pregnancy, he ordered her to be burned for the shame she had brought upon their family. She was now an outsider – disobedient to the laws of the Israelites. However, she would tell and verify that Judah had not followed the Israelite law of the levirate marriage (see extended notes) in providing her with a son to marry in accordance with the law. It would then be Judah who would repent and receive Tamar back into the family.
Rahab (Joshua 2 and 6) Rahab was a Canaanite woman with three strikes against her.. She was a woman, she was an outsider to the Israelite people (i.e., a Canaanite), and she was a prostitute. Prostitution in biblical times was just as prostitution is today – the exchange of sex for payment. Just as may be the case for today, poverty was by far the most common cause of prostitution in the ancient world. It had fallen to Rahab a mere daughter, to help supply her family’s dire need through the unwanted and demeaning necessity of prostitution. Before one can judge Rahab too harshly as one who made the choice to become a prostitute, we must recognize the cultural context in which we find her. It is then we can begin to understand how God used someone, who by society standards was very low in community status, to accomplish His work. (Material extracted from Sheron Patterson 1)
For Rahab it would not be her sin, but her faithfulness that would redeem her and bring her honor. She would convert to worship the name of Yahweh and this proclamation would bring great risk to herself and to her family. Not only did Rahab put her faith into action in hiding the spies, but she had the spies commit to their faith by the oath she extracted from them. Rahab’s faith would not only save the spies, but the lives of her family. Rahab, the Canaanite outsider, would be redeemed by her faithfulness to Yahweh.
Ruth (the Book of Ruth) - Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons would leave their land in a time of famine to travel to the despised nation of Moab. (Read Numbers 22 and Deuteronomy 23:3) There, one of their sons would meet and marry Ruth, a Moabite – an outsider. Upon the death of Elimelech and both sons, Naomi and her two daughters-in-law would become, in essence, without purpose in their society. A women’s role in that period was one of three labels: someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, and/or someone’s mother/grandmother. Naomi had no father to return to, was now a widow and had no sons or grandchildren! She was without
purpose and belonging. Therefore, she changed her name to Mara, meaning “bitter” because of her plight.
With Naomi’s urging, one daughter-in-law consented to return to her father, but Ruth would not return instead choosing to stay with her mother-in-law. She encouraged her mother-in-law to return home to her Israelite home fully knowing she would be the outsider, a hated Moabite living in the land of the Israelites.
The book of Ruth tells the story of Naomi and Ruth’s plight upon returning to the Israelite people and of Ruth’s life. Ruth remarries a distant relative of Naomi’s (Boaz) and gives birth to a son. In time and lineage she becomes the great grandmother of King David. Scripture will move from referring to her as Ruth, the Moabite, to simply Ruth which becomes a sign of her acceptance from outsider to insider and a story of redemption of both her and Naomi.
Bathsheba, wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) Bathsheba appears to be faithfully married to her spouse, Uriah who was a soldier in King David’s army. One day while bathing in her home when she is spotted from the roof of King David’s home. She is then beckoned to the house of her King, David, where upon she is seduced which leads her pregnancy. Upon learning of the news, King David schemes and ultimate arranges for her husband to be killed in the field of battle.
After an appropriate time of mourning King David takes Bathsheba as his wife and she gives birth to their son who would later die in infancy. In this narrative it is not Bathsheba who is the outsider, but King David who becomes the outsider, acting outside the will of God. David is noted in Scripture as being a man of God’s own heart, so such an act of violation of the law, adultery and murder, the act King David commits causes David to be outside of God’s will an purpose for him. David would later say, “As for me, I said, ‘O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you’" (Psalm 41:4). David’s sin set him apart from God and it would be God’s healing of him (forgiveness) that would eventually redeem him as King. Perhaps Bathsheba is not named in this genealogy, as a reminder of the sin of David and God’s redemption of David.
Mary (Luke 1:13-2:7) – A Jewish young girl (probably about 14 years of age), Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. In the Ancient Near East, engagement meant monogamous commitment to one person and was viewed in some ways as being married and therefore pledged in fidelity. Yet she becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit. In the culture and times in which Mary lived, Joseph was within his rights to have her stoned to death since her pregnancy would have been perceived as adultery. Because Joseph was a righteous man; however, he wrestled with the decision to quietly leave her. To leave her could still leave her in the hands of condemnation, particularly as she continued to live in her current environment which would bring shame upon her family. (Honor and shame were and still are intrinsic in the Jewish faith.) Much like in the case of Tamar and Bathsheba, her pregnancy would be reason for being an outcast in their culture. Through the voice of the angel, the messenger of God, Joseph would decide to stay with
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Mary and redeem her by fulfilling his commitment to marry her. God would redeem Mary with the birth of Jesus and in fulfillment of the angel’s promises.
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Session 2 – Levirate Marriage Law
Levirate marriage law is the obligation of a surviving brother to marry the widow of his brother if he died without having sired children (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). The corollary is that the widow must marry a brother-in-law rather than anyone outside the family. The oldest of the surviving brothers had the first obligation to perform this commandment, which also allowed him to inherit all of his dead brother’s property. If and when the brother-in-law and the widow of his brother give birth to offspring, the child is considered to be the son/daughter of the deceased brother, not the new husband. Thus, the intent in the law was that the name of the dead brother would not be blotted out of Israel.
The duty of levirate marriage law was obligatory only on one who was alive at the time of the death of his childless brother; it did not apply to one born after his brother’s death. Furthermore, both brothers must have the same father.
Not only did the levirate marriage law save the name of the deceased father, it was also an effort to protect the widow. In the ancient near east, widows, orphans and strangers were considered to be outside society which often meant no means of family or financial support. The levirate marriage law guaranteed the widow continued family, status in the community, and the protection of financial security.
In the case of Tamar, when Judah refused to give his third son to Tamar to marry, he cast her out of the community and thereby disobeyed the levirate marriage law. Thus he needs to repent upon recognizing how he failed his obligations as a Jewish patriarch.
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Session 3 - John the Baptist and the Connection to Elijah
Matthew 11:7–14 declares, “Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.’” (Here Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1, where the messenger appears to be a prophetic figure who is going to appear. According to Malachi 4:5, this messenger is “the prophet Elijah,” whom Jesus identifies as John the Baptist.)
This begs the question: Is John the Baptist really the prophet Elijah?
Elijah did not die; he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind as he rode in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11) so is it possible that he has returned to earth as John the Baptist?
Instead the Bible states in Luke 1:17 that John the Baptist came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.” In this way, Elijah set the archetype for John the Baptist. He would foretell the coming of the Lord in the Old Testament and John the Baptist would foretell the coming of the Lord in the New Testament. John the Baptist functioned as Elijah in fulfilling the prophecy Elijah had told.
Those living at the time would not assume them to be one in the same. In Mark 6:14–16 and 8:28 show that both the people and Herod distinguished between John the Baptist and Elijah. John the Baptist also specifically states that he was not Elijah (John 1:19–23).
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Session 4 - Honor and Shame in Jewish Culture
As civilizations continue to morph and grow, certain characteristics become apparent of the people who are a part of the civilization in which they live. One such characteristic that often becomes apparent is the moral or value system of a group of people. Often the code for the value system is contained in a set of laws or rules for the group of people, but also included in this system are the unwritten rules, expectations or codes that simply become understood among the group. In other words, these are things that would increase or diminish your value and standing within the group you inhabit.
In the first century, there were value systems for Greeks, Romans, Jews and so on, dependent upon the community in which one lived. Among the many codes within each of these groups, one that was common across the groups was the values given to honor and shame. Throughout Old Testament Scripture one could learn how honorable and rewarding it was to bring honor to ones’ family or group and how disgraceful it was to bring shame. For example, “Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it” (Proverbs 2:20-22)
For group members bringing honor (by obedience and loyalty) to the group is to find acceptance and significance. In contrast, to bring shame upon the group is to receive a diminished status and less value within the community. However on a positive note, shame also served to discourage someone from committing irresponsible actions.
While current culture may not share the same ideas of what brings honor and shame upon oneself or one’s community and the power of it, those living in the first century world held a common view of the power of violating honor or bringing shame to a community. “We need to become sensitive to the social dynamics—to the power—of honor and shame in the lives of the first Christians and their contemporaries if we are to hear the texts of the New Testament with their full force.2”
When those of the various Jewish philosophies heard Jesus’ words, they often felt he had violated something that was honorable (e.g., healing on the Sabbath) to the group and hence their response to him. Manners of clothing, behavior, pronouncing a person’s name, posture, bravery, generosity, among many other things all indicated and were measurements by which one could be considered worthy of honor or worthy of shame.
Therefore, in light of this information, we can understand Joseph’s initial reticence in keeping his commitment to Mary and how radical his obedience to God was in light of how the community was likely to respond. Likewise, we see the significance of Mary’s response, “May it be to me as
you have said" (Luke 1:38). Both Mary and Joseph risked being shamefully cast out of their community and even life itself. To live outside of community was to lose a home, a trade or means of livelihood, food and traditions associated with that community. The cost of their obedience to God could have been mighty, yet they followed anyway.
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Section 4 - Shepherds in the First Century
From the earliest of the Hebrew Scriptures the nomadic lifestyle of the Hebrew people is noted. These whose life depended upon the suitability of the land for farming and for grazing livestock knew of the necessity to move when necessary. Drought, times of famine, and adequate grazing land kept the people on the move. When Abram left Ur, he took his livestock with him and settled first in the land of Haran and then on to the land of Canaan. Suitable land was necessary for survival and the promise of such fertile land by God to Abram provided the nomad with a feasible and necessary reason to go.
In those early days the livestock was a mix of sheep and goats. Sheep provided wool, meat and horn containers. Goats provided up to six pints of milk per goat per day, were used for meat and for sacrificial purposes. As the population grew the need for the animals also grew, but sustainable nearby land was not always available. When the villages began experiencing a lack of space for animals inside the crowded towns became apparent, shepherds were employed to watch the herds of multiple families by keeping their livestock for them on the outskirts of town.
Therefore when it is said, the shepherd knows his sheep by name (John 10:3), he knew the ones for whom he had care. The shepherd had the task of moving the herd as necessary for water and food. He was to keep the herd in good health and to provide them with constant protection. He knew when they needed to rest, when they needed to move and the danger of moving water. King David knew this well as he penned Psalm 23. Scripture records there were lions and bears and it is noted that hyenas and jackals were also common in Palestine at this time in history. When Scripture notes “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11),” we have the image of the shepherd fighting against those meaning harm for those entrusted to his care.
Because of the daily upkeep and protection of the flock, the shepherd spent much of his time away from town. He did not have the daily provisions of those who lived in town and spent most of his days in solitude with his flock. One can imagine the shepherd as unbathed, unshaven, and physically thin as life as a nomad did not afford much. For entertainment the shepherd was known to make a musical reed pipe from what he found on the land. As much of the time was spent in isolation, social graces and conversation were not a part of his normal life.
The shepherd most often came into the villages around the time of Passover as he would bring the sheep and goats into town. While in town, there would be special facilities to bathe the sheep. Note in Nehemiah 3:1 of the sheep gate and the nearby Pool of Bethseda. Some animals would be offered for sacrifice and others would be butchered for the family or sold for money. After Passover, the shepherd would collect his next herds, return to the appropriate places for water, food and protection of his newest animals and the process would repeat itself.
In the Gospel of Luke it is recorded, ‘And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8). Shepherds generally worked in isolation, in
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their own territory, but it is logical to assume that others would be grazing their flocks nearby as they too would be searching for and needing the same provisions for their flocks. This reminds us of the widespread notice the angels brought when they said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). We can also imagine the stir among all the shepherds, whose life was rather routine, to be startled or terrified by such news. Yet they were inspired. Inspired to go, inspired to tell. In their inspiration to go and tell, the news of the Savior was first preached!
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Section 5 – “Who Was King Herod”
Understanding kingship has reported in the Bible can be confusing as sons and grandsons of kings would also become kings. In history they are recorded with the same surname followed by the notation of I, II, III, etc. However, in biblical literature, they are simply referred to by their surname. In the New Testament for example there are several King Herods.
The first King Herod was known as Herod the Great. The Romans appointed King Herod as King of Judea in 37 BCE and he ruled until 4 CE. In many respects Herod had a hugely successful reign. King Herod, ethnically Arab but a practicing Jew, increased the land he governed from Palestine to parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon and Syria constructing fortresses, aqueducts and amphitheaters. It is because of these accomplishments that he earned him the title 'Herodes Magnus', or Herod the Great.
It would be the Romans who would also give this Herod the title, “King of the Jews” because he ruled the Jewish population. One can see the immediate animosity and fear that would develop when the Magi would ask to see the one who is the prophesied “King of the Jews.” For King Herod this would be an imminent threat to his position and all the perks he enjoyed as being King of Judea. The biblical text in Matthew 2 describes his fear and what he is willing to do, even the slaughter of innocent babies, in order to keep the title.
It is the fear of the slaughter of the baby Jesus by King Herod that would cause Joseph to flee to Egypt with his son and wife.
The second King Herod was Herod Antipas (Herod the Tetrarch) – Herod the Great would divide his kingdom into four parts, indicated by the title of Herod Antipas as Herod the Tetrarch (tetrarch means one who governs a fourth). This Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee, the part of the kingdom assigned to him. He is the one Jesus was sent to during His trials and eventual crucifixion (Luke 23). This same Herod Antipas was the Herod who had John the Baptist murdered (Matthew 14).
The third King Herod was Herod Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great (Acts 12). It was he who persecuted the church in Jerusalem and had the apostle James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, put to death by the sword, the first apostle to be martyred.
The fourth King Herod was the son of Herod Agrippa I, Herod Agrippa II. Herod Agrippa II was instrumental in saving Paul from being tried and imprisoned in Jerusalem by the Jews who hated his testimony of Jesus as the Messiah. King Agrippa, out of consideration for Paul being a Roman citizen, allowed Paul to defend himself, thereby giving Paul the opportunity to preach the gospel to all who were assembled (Acts 25—26). Following the death of Herod Agrippa II, Rome no longer appointed a member of the Herodic line to rule.
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Section 5 – “Angels in the Hebrew Bible”3
We tend to imagine angels as human beings with white wings clothed in white robes—but in the Bible, angels could be flying heavenly snakes or winged bulls with human faces or they could look like ordinary human beings. But more importantly, it was the angel’s function or role that mattered.
The Hebrew term mal’akh, like the Greek term angelos, means “messenger.” The Hebrew Bible uses the term on rare occasion when speaking of a human messenger (Gen 32:3), but typically the term refers to heavenly beings who serve what the Bible regards as the one true God, Yhwh.
Biblical authors use additional terms when speaking of such beings, especially those with an animal shape—for example, seraphs (flying heavenly snakes who chant praises of God; Isa 6:2-4) and kerubs (often transliterated as “cherubs”) or beings with the body of a bull, wings, and the face of a human, who hold up Yhwh’s throne or fly through the heavens (Ezek 9:3, Ezek 10, Ps 18:10, Ps 99:1). Biblical texts call heavenly beings who praise God qedoshim (“holy ones”; Ps 89:5, Ps 89:7), or b’nei elim or elohim (both of which can be translated as “gods”; Gen 6:2, Ps 29:1, Ps 82:6, Job 1:6).
Biblical authors never attribute distinct personalities to these beings, and only rarely do they refer to them by a specific name. Some of the latest written texts of the Hebrew Bible start using names for angels, such as Gabriel (Dan 8:16, Dan 9:21) and Michael (Dan 10:13). By the time the book of Daniel was written in the second century B.C.E., the threat of polytheism within Israel was no longer a major concern, so authors could speak of specific heavenly beings other than Yhwh more freely.
